Draft gear



Aug. 31, 1926.

E. GEORGE, JR 1598343 DRAFT @man Filed Hay 21. 1923 0D SS Patented Aug. 3l, 1926..

narran starr rarer OFFICE'.

a 'romana cer/grana', er rnnnsrrivanrn.

ENISYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF DRAFT GEAR.

Application filed May 21, 1923. Serial No. 640,494.

My invention relates to draft gear for railway cars and particularly to the type wherein the cushioning unit involves the use of friction elements. The principal object of the invention is to provide a yoke device of easily manufactured form suit able for cooperating with a cushioning unit of the friction type and capable of being operatively connected to a car coupler by either a vertical or a horizontal key.

A primary feature of the invention7 generally stated, consists in constructing a draft gear witha yoke device formed with a casing to which are integrally united a pair of forwardly extending slotted arms which, adjacent their' forward ends, are integrally united by oppositely disposed side walls terminating in advance of said casing, the said arms being provided with a pair of vertically alined key slots adapted to receive a coupler connecting key, said side walls being formed with horizontally alined key slots open at their rear ends and adapted to receive acoupler connecting` key, a car coupler having a stem whose rear end is received in the hollow hood constituted by the said arms and side walls, a key extending through said coupler and through one or the other pair of said slots7 and a follower movably mounted between and projecting laterally beyond the said arms in advance of the casing.

A further feature of the invention involves a yoke device comprising a casing closed at its rear end, a pair of vertically alined slotted` arms integrally united to and extending forwardly from the casing, and side walls integrally uniting said arms in advance of said casing, the said arms at points to the rear of the slots therein being of less width than the casing, the said side walls being formed with a pair of key slots open at their rear ends, said arms and said side walls forming a hollow hood for receiving the stem of a car coupler, and either of the pairs of key slots being adapted to receive a key for movably connecting a car coupler to the yoke device. y

Other features of the invention involving advantageous details of construction and particular relations of parts will hereinafter appear. v Y

In the drawings illustrating the invention, the scope whereof is pointed outin the claims;

Figure l is a plan View of a draft gear embodying the invention, stationary parts of the car with which it is associated being' shown in dotted lines.

Figure Q, is a side elevation of the construction shown in Fig. l i

Figure 3 is a transverse section on the line 3-3, Fig. l, the coupler Vconnecting key being in elevation.

In the drawings l indicates the stem of a car coupler and 2 is the yoke device. The coupler l is shown as provided adjacent its rear end with a slot 3 for receiving a vertically extending key 4 by which the coupler and draft yoke are operatively connected. As will hereinafter appear, the yoke device isV not only adapted to be connected to a car coupler provided with avslot for receiving l a verticallyextending connecting key2 but also is provided with means enabling it to be attached to a coupler having a horizontal slot for the reception of a correspondingly disposed key.

rllhe yoke device has a hollow casing 5 which preferably is closed atv its rear end. This casing is made of any desired shape and size suitable for receiving and cooperating with the springs and friction elements of the cushioning unit housed therein, the cushioning unit being diagrammatically indicated in the drawings by the diagonal dotted lines 6 in the conventional manner. In bufling the rear end of the casing 4 abuts against draft lugs 7 or other suitable stops rigidly attached to the cent/er sills or Idraft sills 8 of the ycar in a well known manner.

integrally united to the casing 5 and eX- tending forwardly therefrom is a pair of vertically spaced arms 9 rigidly united in advance ofthe Vcasing by side walls l0 formed as an integral part of the yoke device. The rear ends of the side walls 10 terminate in advance of the casing at a distance preferably amply suiflcientto permit `the easy introduction into the casing of the being spaced apart a distance somewhat greater than the width of the neighboring portion of the coupler stem and diverging forwardly so as to provide for lateral swinging movements of the coupler. rlike arms 9 are furnished with vertically alined'key slots 11' for receiving the key d when it is disposed-in vertical position, the said slots being of a length sutiicient to permit said key to travel rearwardly therein during a builing movement Of the, coupler and being fiared or widened from their forward ends rearwardly, as indicated at 12,'to permit the angular turning movement of the key when the coupler executes a` lateral swinging movement. lVhen, as shown in the drawings, a downwardly removable vertical key t is employed for connecting the coupler to the yoke device, the lower arin 9 is preferably provided upon opposite, sides of the adjacent key slot 1,1, with downwardly extending shouldered lugs j 13` for sustaining a slide or plate 1d which passes under the key Ll: and thus maintains it in assembled position. The plate 1,11 may beheld in place by aI cotter 15 passing through the reduced end of the plate and oyerlapping the rear lends of `the lugs 13,y f A To` the rear of their slots 11 the vertically spaced arms 9' are. somewhat reduced in width so as` to, permit the follower 16 movably mounted between the arms 9 to project laterally beyond said arms in advance of the forward:v end of the ca sing 5. The ends of the follower 16 are adapted during a draft movementl 0f the coupler" to bear against draft lugs 17 riveted or Votherwise rigidly secured to the car sills 8.

The side walls 10 are also provided with key slots adapted to receive a horizontally extending key for operativley connecting the coupler to the draft yoke.- These horizontallyalined slots 18 are in open communication at their rear ends withthe space in which the follower loperates, thnsenabling a coupler connecting. key extending through said slots to travel rearwardly with the cou? pler in a bufling operation while at the same time enabling the sidewalls 10. of the yoke device to be spaced well in advance of the casing 5. By this meansv the, permissible length ofthe casing may be increased without unduly lengthening the yoke device. draft lugs or follower stops 17 and the adjacent car sills are suitably slotted, as indicated at 19, to permita horizontal coupler connecting key to travel with the coupler during draft andbuifmg movements.

The' arms 9 as.V well asA the side walls 1-0 may be thickened toward their forward ends to. provide ample bearing area for the forward. edge of the coupler key, and said arms may advantageously be provided on their inner faces with transversely extending shoulders 2O adapted to limit forward movement ofthe follower 16 when the cou- The weas-is pier 1 is disconnected from the yoke device My invention provides a strong and simple draft yoke device formed as an integral castingand enables the friction casing portion thereof to Iextend for a comparatively great proportion of the entire length of the device.

1. ifi draft gear involving a yoke device provided with a casing and having a pair of vertically alined arms integrally united to and extending forwardly from said casing and also having oppositely disposed side walls spaced in advance of said casing and integrally uniting said arins, said arms being provided with key slots and at points to the rear of said slots being of less width than said casing, said side walls having horizontally alined key slots and terminating in advance of the forward end of' the casing so as to afford space pern'iitting the introduction of cushioning means into said casing, a car coupler having a stem interposed between said arms and said side walls, said coupler being adapted to move longitudinally with respect to said yoke, a key extending through said coupler and entering one pair of said slots, and a follower movably mounted between and projecting laterally beyond said arms in interposed relation to said side walls and casing.

2. A draft gear involving a yoke device provided with a casing closedat its rear end and having ay pair of vertically alined arms integrally united' to and extending forwardly from said casing and also having oppositely disposed side. walls: spaced in advance of said casing and integrally uniting said' arms,r said arms being provided with key slots extending in the direction of length of said yoke device, said', side walls tern'iinating in advance of the forward end of the casing so as to afford space permitting the introduction ofV cushioning means into said casing and being formed with key slots whichare open at their rear ends, a car coupler having a stem` interposed between said armsl and sid'e walls and movable longitudinally witl'i respect to said yoke device, a key extending through said' coupler and cooperating with one pair of said' slots, and a follower movably mounted between and projecting laterally beyond said arms in advance of said casing,

3. A yoke device. for railway draft gear comprising avr casing, a pair ,off vertically alined arms integrally united to and extend- Ving forwardly from said casing, and side walls spaced in advance of said casing and integrally unitingsaid arms said' side walls and arms constiuti'ng a hollow hood adapted to receive the stem of a. car coupler,- said arms being provided with a pair of alined key slots, said side walls terminating in advance 'of the forwardV end of the casing so as to afford space permitting,- the introduc tion of cushioning means into said casing and being formed with a pair of alined key Slots which are open at their rear ends, and either of said pairs of slots being adapted to receive a key for connecting the car coupler to the yoke device.

el. A yoke device for railway draft gear comprising a casing closed at its rear end and adapted to lermit the introduction of cushioning, means at its forward end only, a

pair of vertically alined arms integrally united to and extending forwardly from said easing, Said arme loeing,` provided with a pair of key slots and at points rearwardly of said slots being of less width than Said casing, and side walls integrally uniting said arms and spaced in advance of said casing, said side walls being formed with a pair of key slots which are open at their rear ends, said arms and said walls constituting a hollow hood adapted to receive the stem of a car coupler, and either of said pairs of slots being adapted to receive a key for connecting a car coupler to the yoke device.

In testimony whereof I aiX my signature.

ENooH GEORGE, JR. 

